1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a shielded safety syringe having an outer protective sleeve and a retractable, double-ended needle which is moved through the outer sleeve between axially extended and retracted positions. Means are provided for canting the needle at the retracted position to prevent both access to and return of the needle to the axially extended position.
2. Prior Art
Syringes are used for a variety of purposes. By way of example, the syringe may be used for vacuum tube phlebotomy, where one or more samples of a patient's blood are successively drawn into respective evacuated blood collection tubes by way of a double-ended hypodermic needle cannula. Such a syringe may be used to treat a patient having a communicatable disease. Prior to disposal of the syringe, the hypodermic needle is sometimes broken to prevent reuse. Health care workers are especially susceptible to accidental and potentially infectious needle strikes due to the careless handling or breaking of the needle and disposing of the syringe after use. The resulting mini-accidents caused by an accidental needle strike typically requires a blood test for such diseases as AIDS and hepatitis. The corresponding cost and inefficiency of testing health care workers who have received an inadvertent needle strike result in considerable waste, which may be particularly to a health care facility which is striving for economy.
The following U.S. patent applications, which are or will be assigned to the assignee of the instant patent application, relate, respectively, to a shielded safety syringe and to a means for canting a single-ended needle at the interior of a hollow cylinder: U.S. application Ser. No. 118,745 filed Nov. 9, 1987 and U.S. application Ser. No. 51,392 filed May 19, 1987.